Team

Mary Pat Sullivan, PhD, MSW, BSW, RSW

Rare Dementia Support Canada Lead

I am a registered social worker and Professor of Social Gerontology and Social Work at Nipissing University. After many years as a social worker in geriatric mental health in northern and eastern Ontario, I completed a PhD in Gerontology at King’s College London (UK). My academic and research career in the UK and Canada focuses on the social context of aging and older age, including people’s experiences of living with dementia. My mother was diagnosed with young onset dementia when she was in her early 50’s. My family’s experience providing support and care over the years has influenced my own learning on how families “do family” whilst navigating multiple support and care transitions.  

If you would like more information on my academic and research work, please see here.

Jen Gordon, MSW, RSW

RDS Canada Support Manager

With roots stretching between Thunder Bay and Ottawa, I have lived in Northern Ontario for most of my adult life. I am a registered social worker and teach part time in the Bachelor of Social Work at Nipissing University. I have studied at both Lakehead and Laurentian University and came to RDS Canada from outpatient mental health services at the North Bay Regional Health Centre. In my professional career I have focused my work on the intersections between physical and mental health and wellbeing including grief and loss in the face of neurological changes. I have been working with groups since the early 1990’s and enjoy the connection and growth that happens within the group process. My own life experience, as a parent to an adult child with a brain injury, contributes to my understanding of how families can hold both pain and joy as they walk the path of life together. I look forward to meeting all those who connect with RDS Canada individual, family and group supports.

Dorothy Larkman, MSW, BSW, RSW

RDS Canada Oshkabaywis*

Anishinaabe que from the Matachewan First Nation, mother of three, grandmother of five, sister and auntie. I completed an undergraduate and graduate degree in social work focusing on Indigenous ways of helping. Currently, I am working on my PhD with the University of Waterloo researching relationship building between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples highlighting the Indigenous ethic of non-interference. As I teach in the School of Social Work, I can be involved with my home community while reaching out to other Indigenous peoples in their search for equity, social justice and balance. 

*In the Ojibway tradition, Oshkabaywis is a (spiritual) helper. “In the Ojibway tradition, there were Seven Grandfathers who were responsible to watch over the people. They were powerful spirits who sent an Oshkabaywis (helper) to walk among the people and find a person to teach them how to walk in harmony on the earth. A little boy was found, and he was gifted with a bundle which would provide the people with the foundation to live and thrive in harmony with each other and with the earth. At each stopping place on the Little Boy’s journey, there were megis shells on the ground and the meaning of each gift was explained” (Charles, 2013, p.1).

Veronika Williams, PhD, BSc, RN

Faculty Collaborator

I am a Registered Nurse and Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at Nipissing University. I completed my BSc in Nursing in the UK and initially worked in respiratory and general medicine, before continuing my academic career and completing a PhD at the University of Southampton, UK. Since then, I have worked as a researcher on several research projects in the area of ageing, digital health and respiratory conditions. My research focuses on understanding the experiences of people living with long-term conditions, particularly in the context of ageing, and how we can provide better support for people living with such conditions and their families. I was previously Director of DPhil Evidence-Based Health Care program at the University of Oxford, UK and decided on a northern Ontario adventure joining Nipissing University in 2019. 

If you would like more information on my academic and research work, please see here.

Melissa Tuinema, RN, MSc

Research Fellow

I am a registered nurse with specialized geriatric expertise. My clinical practice previously focused on the care of older people with medical complexity in rural Northeastern Ontario.  I was also a clinical lead to support the implementation of best practices to improve care for older people in Timiskaming and Nipissing districts.  I completed my Master of Science in Aging and Health at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario in 2018.  I am currently completing my PhD in Health Quality, also at Queen’s University.

Gabrielle Ouellette

4th year BSW Field Education Student